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Last night’s UFC Fight Night show wasn’t getting much attention coming in, and unfortunately, it simply didn’t deliver the goods in execution, either.
Overall, UFC Fight Night: Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad saw a few fighters truly shine, and while the event did see some stars climb the ladder, how many will reach title contention is another thing entirely.
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So while it’s unlikely that anyone will be talking about this event in a couple of weeks, here are the five biggest winners from last night’s Fight Night event:
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#5. Devin Clark – defeated William Knight in a UFC heavyweight bout
Any fighter who manages to rescue their UFC career from a likely pink slip deserves a spot on a list like this, and so Devin Clark’s victory over William Knight should undoubtedly make ‘The Brown Bear’ one of last night’s big winners.
Prior to this bout, Clark had lost in his last two visits to the octagon, and with a middling overall record and a distinct lack of finishes to his name, had he fallen to Knight last night, his release almost certainly would’ve been incoming.
However, after a bad first round that saw ‘The Knightmare’ hurt him more than once, Clark regrouped and ground his opponent down in the second round. Once Knight was really tired in the third, Clark opened up with an excellent combination to take him out.
The win was not only Clark’s first finish inside the UFC octagon, but it was also his first win as a heavyweight after he’d competed as a 205lber since his debut in the promotion back in 2016. Considering he once fought at 185lbs, it’s safe to say this move was a surprise.
Whether ‘The Brown Bear’ – who stands at just 6’0” - has the size to compete with the division’s true monsters is a fair question to ask going forward, but at the very least, he’ll be given a couple more fights to prove himself after this victory – meaning it’s hard to see him as anything but a big winner this morning.
#4. Andre Fialho – defeated Miguel Baeza in a UFC welterweight bout
If you rewind to the start of 2021, few young fighters in the UFC had quite as much hype around them as Miguel Baeza. ‘Caramel Thunder’ was 3-0 in the promotion and had taken out all three of his opponents in violent fashion.
However, after last night, Baeza is now 0-3 in his last three bouts, and while it’s unlikely that he’ll be released, the bloom is certainly off the rose in terms of his status as a prospect. That status may now attach itself to his opponent last night, Andre Fialho.
Fialho made his octagon debut earlier this year in a losing effort against Michel Pereira but showed enough to be kept around. Last night, the native of Portugal proved exactly why there should be some hype on his name.
He took out Baeza in violent fashion, absorbing some heavy strikes before abusing ’Caramel Thunder' with uppercuts from the clinch, leading to a nasty fight-ending combination.
It’s clear that Fialho isn’t the finished article – he needs to improve his defense and stop getting hit so much if he wants to progress – but he’s definitely a fighter to watch in the loaded welterweight division. This victory made him one of last night’s big winners.
#3. Pat Sabatini – defeated TJ Laramie in a UFC featherweight bout
While he didn’t pick up a finish last night, featherweight prospect Pat Sabatini basically whitewashed an overmatched opponent in the form of TJ Laramie. The fact that the win moved him to 4-0 in the UFC means he’s one of the night’s biggest winners.
Sabatini was too good for Laramie in all areas, but it was on the ground where he really dominated ‘The Truth’. Time after time, he was able to find dominant positions, and on more than one occasion, he came close to locking in fight-ending submissions.
Laramie did well to escape them all, of course, and defended well. However, had Sabatini really gone to town with his ground-and-pound in a particularly one-sided second round, there’s every chance he could’ve sealed the deal.
As it was, Sabatini’s performance was never going to win him a $50k bonus, but it did make it clear that he’s ready for a shot at better fighters in the division.
Based on what we saw here, his grappling skills should be enough to worry anyone at 145lbs. While he remains unheralded, there are at least one or two top 15 fighters he’d be favored to defeat. Overall, this was an impressive performance from him.
#2. Drakkar Klose – defeated Brandon Jenkins in a UFC lightweight bout
When Drakkar Klose found himself on the shelf in 2021 with some serious injuries, including problems with his neck following an errant weigh-in shove from Jeremy Stephens, he sadly found himself as a punchline of sorts.
How had a tough UFC fighter suffered such injuries from what looked like such an inconsequential moment? A year on, it’s still a mystery – but last night, Klose returned to action and quickly erased the memories of the incident with a truly vicious performance.
Sure, his opponent – late notice replacement Brandon Jenkins – was visibly overmatched, but Klose, who had never finished a foe in the octagon before, clearly had a point to prove. He battered Jenkins with a series of brutal combos from the onset and finally put him away in the second round.
Where does Klose go from here? Unfortunately, he can’t call out Stephens to take his revenge, as ‘Lil Heathen’ is no longer with the promotion. He did call out former Olympic wrestler Mark Madsen after last night’s fight, and that may well be a good match for him.
Overall, despite the way he incurred them, any fighter returning from serious injuries like the one Klose suffered should be commended; and performing like this makes him an even bigger winner.
#1. Belal Muhammad – defeated Vicente Luque in a UFC welterweight bout
Last night’s biggest winner was undoubtedly Belal Muhammad. Not only did he avenge a loss inside the octagon by outpointing Vicente Luque in the night’s headliner, but he also called out Colby Covington in charismatic fashion and based on his current run, it’s a fight that Muhammad might now get.
It’d be hard to call ‘Remember The Name’ the most entertaining fighter in the welterweight division. After all, he’s only ever finished two opponents during his UFC career, dating back to 2016. However, it’s also safe to say he’s one of the most effective.
The win over Luque last night moved him to 12-3-1 overall, and he should find himself in the division’s top five come next week. Essentially, he defeated ‘The Silent Assassin’ using his trademark gameplan – plenty of takedowns and ground control with some effective striking mixed in.
Sure, he didn’t come close to finishing Luque, but the fact that he was able to clearly shut down such a dangerous opponent who has the reputation of being able to finish opponents from any area was still remarkably impressive.
Muhammad’s style means that he’s always flying under the radar compared to someone like Khamzat Chimaev. Still, he’s definitely one of the most dangerous fighters out there right now, and based on this, he could well push Covington to the limit if they do fight.
If nothing else, he’s now in a bigger spotlight than he’s ever found himself in before, making him last night’s biggest winner by a mile.
